It's December 26 and my excitement for 2017 is in full swing. I thought I'd do a few blog posts about how I get organized as a regular person, Pilates instructor, studio owner, and Mom over the next few blog posts. Today I'll share which planner I use and some of my favorite planner tools. I've learned that I'm more likely to get excited and be committed to something if I can be creative along the way. As a kid, I always decorated my loose leaf paper with pretty markers and somehow it made taking notes at school the next day more fun. So now as an adult I have figured out an outlet for the Lisa Frank, sticker loving kid in me. I use a Passion Planner. I've been doing so for 3 years and I love it. The crisp black and white pages are like butter to write on, it has a place for personal and work to-do lists, and there are inspiring quotes throughout. I use stickers and washi tape to decorate it each week which serves absolutely no purpose other than to make it pretty! I look forward to every Sunday when I sit down to get organized and I enjoy the chance to get a little crafty and creative. Passion Planner is having a flash sale through 12/27/16 for $5 off a 2017 planner. Get one now!
One way I have customized my planner is by gluing the monthly reflection sheets at the end of the month together and putting washi tape on the edges of it. That way I now have monthly view pages that separate the 4 weeks of the each month. They're very easy to flip to and the washi tape makes the planner super pretty from the side. The monthly reflection sheets are awesome but I found after a couple of years that I wasn't taking the time to complete them, so I came up with this idea. I also use washi tape and Create 365 stickers to decorate it each week.
On the front cover of my planner I stick small stacks of Post-It Notes (the super sticky ones work best for this) and this very cool Post It Notes pocket. I have been able to reuse this pocket for 3 planners and the adhesive is still sticky. I absolutely recommend it!
My most loved planner tools are my pens! I use Pilot Frixion Pens, markers and highlighters. They are AMAZING!!! These pens and markers are erasable and I mean it! They leave absolutely no trace once you've erased using the Frixion eraser. A WARNING: Don't leave any important documents in full/direct sunlight. The ink will actually disappear. I have never had anything terrible happen due to this but I am thoughtful about when I use these pens. I definitely don't have clients use them when filling out their intake forms and I would never sign an important document with them. As for my planner needs and lesson plan documentation: you can't beat these pens!
Another way I individualize my Passion Planner is by using these adorable holiday stickers by Star City Designs. You can instantly download them here.
So there's a little peak at how I get ready for my life each Sunday. I also plan out my lessons for the week and have them organized in a cute binder but more on that in my next post! I hope this gives you some ideas for getting ready for the new year. Let's do this 2017!
XOXO,
Carrie